Sunday 21 July 2024

ISHW July 2024

I missed June's stitchy weekend as we were on holiday and although we had a busy Friday and Saturday I am dedicating today to my stitching (once the ironing is done)

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend is based on Facebook, hosted by Jo, Joyce, Ee Koon and Bonnie IHSW on Facebook


I'm working on a secret project that is a new craft to me. I'm sorry that is such a tease sentence but I really cannot say any more other than it is for our daughter's and son-in-law's first anniversary. I can't believe it's neatly a year since this beautiful day.



My project has these threads - the wedding colour theme and the ones I used for their sampler. My Stitch-opedia book has been a valuable help too. I



Happy stitching everyone, thank you for calling by.

Thursday 11 July 2024

July's Fully Finished Objects

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, is the super host of Fully Finished Objects which is a great opportunity to show and tell about our crafty items that are completely finished.


My Mum sadly away on 8th June, a day before we left for France for a month away. It was a blessing as Mum had been unwell for many months, she was amazed to have reached her 85th birthday on the last day of May. I'm glad I could say goodbye before we left, Mum is now at peace.

I didn't stitch much on holiday, I find hotel rooms do not have good enough lighting and our villa was quite windy so impossible to stitch outside although perfect to enjoy the view. I have written about our time away on my other blog, here's the link: 


My FFOs this month are the beautiful Santas my friend Gill sent me, you may have seen them on my June GG post.



I haven't stitched much since coming home either, life is quite busy with a few things at the moment, Mum's funeral being one of them. 

Hopefully I will get going again soon and pick up on my blog reading, apologies for not passing by  but I'll be catching up with your news soon.




Friday 14 June 2024

Gifted Gorgeousness June 2024

Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching. GG, on the 15th of each month, is when we share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted.

I received these beautiful Santas from my friend Gill, a member of Needlecraft Haven. I love them, I'll finish them the same as the others so they will be in next month's Fully Finished Objects.


I posted this on my Fully Finished Objects post, thank you to those who read my blog and sent such lovely comments, it really means a lot, thank you.

As you know my Mum has been unwell for the last couple of years, for the last three months she has been in bed being nursed at home. Sadly she passed away last Saturday, she was amazed to have reached her 85th birthday on the last day of May.

We are currently in France for a four week holiday, part of which our two grown up children and their other halves will join us. With Mum passing on Saturday we could say goodbye before leaving for France on Sunday. I was quite worried it may have been while we were away, I had the same worry when we went on our cruise in April. My stepdad will still live at their bungalow so there is no house to clear and he will do all the legal requirements so there is no point in us cancelling the holiday, I think to be honest we all need the break. There will be many things to do once we're home but nothing urgent just now.

Sad times but Mum is now at peace. 


Monday 10 June 2024

June's Fully Finished Objects

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, is the super host of Fully Finished Objects which is a great opportunity to show and tell about our crafty items that are completely finished.

I have only finished my Santas this month. It's been a busy few weeks since we returned from our cruise.

As you know my Mum has been unwell for the last couple of years, for the last three months she has been in bed being nursed at home. Sadly she passed away on Saturday, she was amazed to have reached her 85th birthday on the last day of May.

We are currently on our way to France for a four week holiday, part of which our two children and their other halves will join us. With Mum passing on Saturday we could say goodbye, I was quite worried it may have been while we were away, I had the same worry when we went on our cruise in April. My stepdad will stay at their bungalow so there is no house to clear and he will do all the legal requirements so there is no point in us cancelling the holiday, I think to be honest we all need the break. 

Sad times but Mum is now at peace. 




I did finish this card last month and have shared it in Gifted Gorgeousness but not FFO. They had a lovely wedding, no rain which at the moment is a very rare day here.



Friday 31 May 2024

May Smalls

Rachel at Ten Hour Stitcher is the host of Smalls SAL 2024 and this month my Smalls are small, I have just two Santas.

I have been concentrating on my tablecloth and finishing my embroidery. I did stitch two Santas and I hope to do a few more in June although we are away. 


I have received some lovely Santas for my tree, thank you. I'm hoping to get the fully finished for June's FFO.


Sunday 26 May 2024

WIPocalypse May

Well it's WIPocalypse check in day, which means a month has passed since our holiday. I was planning to work on my tablecloth, did I? Oh yes, on the plane both flights, on our balcony overlooking The Rock of Gibraltar and in the Lounge on board our cruise ship Marella Explorer. 


I have also been stitching on it since we came home and whoo hoo the border is stitched. 

I am not ironing it yet so it looks very creased, the reason is as it is my holiday piece it is golded ready for our next vacation which is coming up soon. I am now working on the satin stitch around the cross stitch, I'm not adding anything to the working or in the centre. After which there's a lot of nervy cutting to do, always a worry and it hurts my hand to hold the scissors too long. This will be my next holiday project. 

WIPocalypse is hosted by Mel at Measi's Mutterings  you will find everyone's post links on her blog.

This month's question is how do I distinguish between a Work in Progress and an Unfinished Object?

For me a WIP is something I am working on but is not my main focus and can often be left for long lengths of time, as with my tablecloth.

A UFO is something I have started, maybe stitched but not fully finished, that I am unlikely to complete but it's kept in a drawer somewhere. This year I have looked at my drawer of unfinished projects and might do a few once my current projects are complete.

Monday 20 May 2024

ISHW May 2024

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend is based on Facebook, hosted by Jo, Joyce, Ee Koon and Bonnie IHSW on Facebook


I've had an extended stitching time as I took my tablecloth on our cruise. You can read about our travels on my other blog: 

Wine, food and travel with Clare 

I have done quite a bit on my tablecloth, just one corner to go and I've done the outer edge. 4

We are away for most of June, I will be taking my tablecloth but I can't stitch just one project for a whole month.

I have a couple of kits I could take and I will do a few Santas. I wonder if I'll manage to stitch every day. 

Wednesday 15 May 2024

Gifted Gorgeousness May 2024

 Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching. GG, on the 15th of each month, is when we share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted.


It seems to be a quiet time in my stitching and therefore on my blog. We've been away and are still busy with my Mum being unwell so I haven't stitched so much and missed a few posts.

I don't have as many visitors as before or comments being left, I did wonder if the comment box wasn't working hee hee. My blog (and my non-stitchy blog) is my diary but I love reading everyone's thoughts too.

So I only have one gift to show this month, a wedding card for my friends' son and his wife. It was a kit that had been in my stash. I didn't know if the wedding had a colour theme so this pastel rose was perfect. They had a lovely day and liked the card.


Thanks Jo for hosting another month of Gifted Gorgeousness, it is always nice to see everyone's stitching.

Friday 10 May 2024

May's Fully Finished Objects

With us being away on our cruise I only have a couple of fully finished items. Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, is the super host of Fully Finished Objects which is a great opportunity to show and tell about our crafty items that are completely finished. It is lovely to see everyone's finishes.

Last year I helped a friend at church finish her Lavender and Lace Angel. Being in her late 80s she was struggling to put the beading on. All that was left was the long stitches for the instrument strings. A few weeks ago I went to see her as she was struggling to add these in. It didn't take long and she carefully rolled the piece to take to the framers.

The other week she sent a photo of it back from the framers, it's beautiful. I'm so pleased it is now finished and she can give it to her daughter.

My own FFO is a upcycled project. Many years ago in an exchange I was gifted a winter mini cushion. Sincere apologies as I cannot remember who stitched it but it is beautiful. 

However I wasn't using it as a cushion so I took it apart and have used drawn thread techniques to make a tablecloth for my flower vases.


I do have another finished item but it's a gift which will not be opened until tomorrow so I'll share next time. 

Sunday 28 April 2024

WIPocalypse April

I have scheduled this check in for Melissa's WIPocalypse  as we are on our cruise currently on a day at sea and later today we have booked Musicals Afternoon Tea.

I have brough my tablecloth as all I need is perle 8 and 12, needle, scissors and my tablecloth, easy to pack! I'll update my progress once we're home.

Before we left I did manage to stitch all the individual sections on my embroidery wheel. I need to backstitch between each sections and then iron it before deciding on its finish. I haven't ironed it yet as there are some loose stitches by their design. It's very creased because I stitch free hand and have turned the fabric round and round as I work ... looks messy doesn't it!


This month's question is about new designers, I'm not sure about this as I tend to stick to my favourites: Durene Jones, Lizzie Kate and Faby Reilly who is my most recent designer find although I've been stitching her designs for a few years. 

Once home I'll catch up on everyone's posts and see which new designers everyone has chosen.

Friday 26 April 2024

April smalls

Rachel at Ten Hour Stitcher is the host of Smalls SAL 2024, I love this SAL at the end of each month to see what little things everyone has stitched. 


My Santa is my first small, another one for my church tree. The mesh is quite big in size do really needs 3 or 4 strands of cotton so I've decided to use up some of the perle 5 in my stash. The light pink is perle 8 so I doubled it up.

I'm including my embroidery project in this month's smalls as each section is a different stitch so 52 smalls in total. I need to backstitch between each section and then carefully iron it before hopefully finishing it. I haven't ironed it as I'm worried about moving some stitches as they are loose in style. I have no idea how I will finish it or what I may use it for.

Friday 19 April 2024

ISHW April 2024

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend is based on Facebook, hosted by Jo, Joyce, Ee Koon and Bonnie IHSW on Facebook

I'm enjoying being part of IHSW and seeing everyone's progress from stitchers around the world.

My tablecloth was originally a Round Robin in 2010 and was on the theme of the four seasons. It's been in my UFO bag for years. 

This is where I was at the end of March IHSW.

I have packed my tablecloth for our cruise and I'm hoping to stitch across the sea, hopefully I will have stitched all the border by the time we are home. I'm going to say our cruise is an extended IHSW as I will be focus stitching most days especially sea days.


Tuesday 16 April 2024

Gifted Gorgeousness April 2024

Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching. GG, on the 15th of each month, is when we share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted. If you visit Jo's blog you'll find the links to everyone's Gifted Gorgeousness posts, thanks Jo.

I'm starting this month's GG with items I've already posted about, namely my Rose and Ghoulash ornaments made from mini kits I received many years ago. The kits were for hangings but I prefer ornaments even though it was tricky to finish them. My third reshow is also an ornament, an upcycling from a Christmas card.




I haven't stitched much of my Biscornu but I am enjoying it, the blue is lovely to do. I am hoping to focus on this in May once we are back from our upcoming holiday.


I have already shown in Gifted Gorgeousness the lovely Santas that DJ sent me but I have now fully finished them so here they are in all their glory. They are so lovely, thank you DJ.


I had great fun with this year's Easter Exchange with Needlecraft Haven. This year we had to stitch an Easter card and send it with some Easter coloured thread. I received a lovely stitched card from Mary, an Eiffel egg. Mary sent some delicious After Eight mini eggs and threads named Eggshell, Daffodil and Iris. I will be upcycling Mary's card.



My Exchange parcel went to Gill and as I like cards to have an after use I made an ornament card. I included some Jelly Babies Chicks with the threads, the photo is Gill's as I forgot to take one before I sent the parcel.




Just after Easter the postman bought a surprise Easter card from Gill, it's so cute and will also be upcycled.

Thanks Jo for hosting another month of Gifted Gorgeousness and thank you to everyone who calls by, I really do appreciate it and your comments.

Thursday 11 April 2024

April's Fully Finished Objects

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, is the super host of Fully Finished Objects. It's a great opportunity for us to show and tell about the crafty items we have completely finished. It does make me feel like I've achieved something when I see my finishes. You may have seen some of my projects on previous posts but I haven't shared as finished items.

The Rose and the Ghoulash ornaments were mini kits I received many years ago and have been sitting in my stash. They were hanging kits but I made them into ornaments, there wasn't much spare fabric which is why the finishing is so tight. I'm very pleased with them and now have another ornament to hang at Valentine's or summer and another Halloween ornament to display. 



This keyring was a kit I have recently received for my birthday. It was fun to do and now houses my keys for the Scout Headquarters.


It is so lovely to receive a stitched card but I'm always sad to put them in a drawer and not seen again so I often upcycle cards into ornaments. I have had this hardanger from a card I received a long time. I cannot remember who stitched it for me as I had taken it out of the card and just stored the fabric. Thank you to whoever sent it, it is a beautiful piece of hardanger and I have managed to turn the edge under the kloster stitches and make it into an ornament. This is now part of my spring collection.


These two ornaments were made from cards received recently for Christmas and Valentine's. I used two different styles of finishing as the Valentine's card had frayed edges so I couldn't turn it. I found this ribbon in my stash which matched the colours in the heart. Two more cards that now have a longer life as ornaments and will be seen again. 


I received two beautiful Santas for my church tree from DJ. She stitched them on perforated paper and sent to me to cut out and finish. Being flat they fit perfectly in a card which makes posting easier, especially when from overseas to here in the UK.

I have enjoyed carefully cutting them out although it's quite a nervy moment sometimes as I feel the responsibility to the stitchers kindness. I'm using gold for all the hangers and the tree will have gold tinsel and gold mini baubles. All the Santas are mounted on felt, either red or green, I used red for both of DJ's Santas, they are so lovely, thank you DJ.



I have also stitched another two Santas, I'm happy with them both but I don't think I will stitch a big one again. I quite like some of the ones I have already done and may repeat them. My little Santa is little, hee hee, I adapted a chart to fit a spare bit of plastic canvas I had left. 


My final Fully Finished Object is the card I made for Gill for the Needlecraft Haven Easter Exchange. As you can see from my first finishes I like stitched cards to be seen again, that said I made Gill and ornament and attached it to a card. 



I haven't been stitching or blogging so much the last few weeks. I am so grateful for my stitching days book as it has kept me going but I have written no stitching a few times. My Mum has been unwell for the last couple of years, getting progressively worse being in and out of hospital since early December. She is now at home, in a hospital bed receiving palative care from our local hospice nurses. She is chatty and we all have jobs when visiting but she is so physically tired. Although we do not need to help we are visiting most days, I'm not sure how the days are going by so quickly but I'm amazed it's April.

I am also very busy at the moment with my role in scouting. I was previously Group Secretary but am now Group Chairman which is less paperwork but more stuff to do especially as we are currently applying for grants and funding to refurbish our headquarters. Our overall Association are also making changes to how Groups are managed as a registered charity which is adding to my time. 

And to top it all I have been suffering with a bad back, must be nearly a month now. My chiropractor initially helped as my neck was also sore but it didn't ease my back. I tried painkillers from the chemist but they were not strong enough so I went to the doctor. I wish I hadn't as he gave me some medication that then affected my stomach and liver giving me more pain. He has also referred me to physiotherapy stating I am overweight (cheeky) with poor posture .... well yes I am not standing straight as I have a bad back ... he didn't examine me at all or even ask me to bend, stand or sit. Anyway to end my moaning I went back to my chiropractor on Tuesday (she moved away from our area so it's an hour and a half each way journey) and she has eased my back a little and I feel a bit more like myself. A good job as we go on a cruise end of April for two weeks which both Hubby and I are very much looking forward to and very much need. 

Apologies to end on a grump, I'm just so busy and everything, even stitching, is fee.ung like a chore. Hopefully things will return to normal soon.